Abdominal Liposuction

It is natural to develop areas of fatty excess on your lower tummy after pregnancy, ageing or weight gain and these areas can seem impossible to eliminate, even with a healthy exercise regimen and a diet. Liposuction is designed to improve your tummy contour by physically removing this fat to help you achieve a flatter, more toned stomach. This type of liposuction procedure is ideal if you have good skin elasticity and a small to moderate excess of fat with a good abdominal core. The procedure is not suitable if you have lots of loose skin and stretch marks. In this situation, an abdominoplasty (tummy-tuck) may be better suited to your needs.   

What is involved in the procedure?

Once you have decided that surgery is the right path for you, you can pick a date that suits you best.  You will generally need to stay in hospital for 1 night following surgery, to ensure you feel well rested before going home.  There are different types of liposuction procedures that Mr Ghattaura undertakes and he will discuss these with you in detail, based on your specific needs.  Depending on how many areas you have treated and how much liposuction is required, you may have a general anaesthetic or a local anaesthetic.  If you have a general anaesthetic, you will sleep through the whole procedure, and probably stay in hospital for 1 night.  If you only require a small area to be treated, you may have a local anaesthetic in which case you will probably go home the same day.  Surgery can last between 1 to 3 hours.

The liposuction procedure involves inserting a small hollow metal tube (cannula) though very small skin incisions.  Using a vacuum device, the tube is then moved backwards and forwards to remove the fat.  A solution of local anaesthetic and fluid is also injected into the area to loosen the fat and reduce the pain.  After surgery, the area is treated with compression garments for 4-6 weeks to reduce the swelling and ease the pain.  

Time to Recover

Your healing time really will depend on how many areas you had treated and how much fat was removed.  The treated areas can feel rather sore and bruised for the first couple of days after surgery and you will need to rest to allow your body to heal.  If you had many areas treated, your rest time may be 2 weeks and you will need to take this time off work or from your normal busy routine.  Mr Ghattaura will advise you prior to surgery exactly how much time you will need to recover.  Depending on the intensity of your procedure, you should be able to resume normal activity and exercise from 2-4 weeks.

Liposuction or body sculpting is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the world and has been carried out for over 40 years, so it’s well tested for effectiveness.  It remains the gold standard method to remove small, defined areas of fat excess and can have a really positive impact on your body shape and confidence. With a sensible diet and exercise regime after surgery, the effects of the liposuction should be permanent, leaving you feeling confident and happy!

Available at HMT Sancta Maria, Spire Cardiff Hospital, Nuffield Health and BMI Werndale